Sir George Ferguson Bowen, formerly the Governor of Victoria, and
also at another time of New Zealand, called attention in Monday's Times to a passage in Mr. Spencer Walpole's " Life of Lord John Russell " (Vol. II., p. 176), in which Mr. Walpole states that "there is amongst Lord Russell's papers a singular document, which purports to be a translation of a series of confidential questions issued by Napoleon III. on the possibility of a French expedition, secretly conducted in different ports, invading, conquering, and holding Australia." Sir George Bowen rightly presses this passage on the attention of " the very small minority in our great Colonies which is said to have ventilated of late years schemes of secession from the Empire, in the event of the Mother-country becoming involved in war with strong foreign Powers." No doubt such a step as secession would be very unwise and premature now, even though in another fifty years it might not be thought so unwise or so contrary to the interests of the Colonies as we heartily hope it still will be even then. But designs of this kind would be best extin- guished by a strong scheme of Colonial Federation, such a scheme as would render the adventure a very unpromising one even without the aid of England in resisting the descent, though, of course, that aid would be very vigorously given.
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